Government wasting more taxpayer money

July 4, 2013

I'm so sick of the "government" using my hard-earned tax dollars on stupid self-congratulatory fluff!

An article in The Journal reported that Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty presented all five Jefferson County Commissioners with plaques representing the new sheriff's badges commemorating West Virginia's 150th birthday. This was to thank the JCC for allocating funds to support the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Really, Sheriff Dougherty? You spent money on meaningless plaques, a brown-nosing gesture, I might add, and used official law enforcement time during an official JCC meeting to present these plaques? Do you seriously think the funds that support the sheriff's department come from the JCC?

No, sir. They took that money from me, from the residents (including retirees), tourists and businesses of Jefferson County, meant to pay for the sheriff's department to serve and protect us. So, you're welcome.

By the way, where did the sheriff's department get the money for the plaques and who authorized time off to attend the ceremony? I hope you pass the hat to collect the money from your own pockets, since you are all so grateful, but I doubt it.

And I would like to know whose idea it was to create special patches and badges to commemorate the 150-year West Virginia birthday? Our wonderful legislators in Charleston? How much did that cost us? It may be an important milestone, but in this economy, what is the cost benefit? Looks to me like the federal government isn't the only government guilty of waste, fraud and abuse.